SBF now wants access to FTX assets, alleging there is no evidence linking him to past illicit transactions.
According to a January 27 US Department of Justice document, SBF attempted to contact FTX General Counsel Ryne Miller, who may testify against her.
Claiming that there is no proof connecting him to earlier illegal transactions.
Sam Bankman Fried's attorneys have argued that he should have access to the assets and cryptocurrencies owned by his former company FTX, which comes as a surprise to the ongoing FTX fraud prosecution given there is no proof of him being involved in any previously alleged illegal acts. Bankman-Fried, who quit as the CEO of FTX on November 11, 2022, is out on bail after being charged with wire fraud and money laundering. He has maintained his innocence.
The terms of Bankman Fried's release from custody included a bar on him accessing any cryptocurrencies that were held by FTX crypto exchange and its trading arm, Alameda Research, after the authorities revealed evidence of unlawful transactions coming from Alameda wallets. Additionally, there are coins included in this injunction that were bought with FTX or Alameda funds.
In a letter to the court on January 28, Bankman Fried's lawyer Mark Cohen, stated that about three weeks had passed since the preliminary pretrial conference and that they assumed the Government's investigation had verified what sbf had maintained throughout, namely that he did not access and transfer these assets. Additionally, Cohen informed Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York that the bail restriction imposed during the conference need to be lifted because the only basis advanced to support it has not been supported.
Additionally, Bankman-Fried allegedly made an attempt to get in touch with FTX's General Counsel Ryne Miller, who may testify against her in the case, according to a document submitted by the US Department of Justice on January 27. The Department of Justice asked that Bankman-Fried be subject to a communications prohibition as an additional bail requirement. Although Cohen says he usually agrees with the restriction, he makes the case that Bankman-Fried should be able to speak with some former coworkers, like his therapist George Lerner.
Cohen was cited as saying, "Mr. Bankman-capacity Fried's to effectively defend this lawsuit would be adversely affected by requiring him to involve counsel in every discussion with a former or current FTX employee."
Additionally, it was reported that several of these individuals were close friends of Bankman- Fried. Furthermore, if there were to be general restrictions placed on his capacity to interact with them, he would lose a crucial source of moral and emotional support.
